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Wednesday, 19 September 2012

This is a unique type of massage that I'd never heard of until about a week or two ago. The Savannah Aveda Spa in Newcastle advertised their hot stone tummy treatment on their website, describing itself as a natural colonic, and ideal for anyone suffering from IBS and bloating. I have recently been diagnosed with IBS and instead of mindlessly popping the pills my doctor prescribed for me, I decided I wanted to try changing my diet and doing natural remedies first before turning to medication. So far it's working out very well.

Before I begin, I have to point out that I was very ill just after I got this which I feel probably affected how my body reacted to it. The dentist's theory was that I probably bit my cheek in my sleep causing an open wound, which doesn't sound that bad, but meant I couldn't eat solid food. I could have lived with that, but then I was given antibiotics which I turned out to be allergic to.. I'm sure you can imagine what kind of state I ended up in!So my appointment started with me filling in a form detailing my brief medical history and my general wellbeing (energy levels, moods, etc). This was followed by a chat with the therapist who also has IBS, so it was good to chat with somebody who knew exactly what I go through. I had to lie under the towel on the bed in my underwear and she started some reflexology. I've never had reflexology before now and I find it really interesting but I'm still on the fence about whether I think it works or not. Either way I'm not going to complain about getting a foot rub! Next, she massaged my stomach using just her hands, then using hot stones. I know it sounds vile for me to admit but I have to be honest, it made me want to do a big massive pump haha. I didn't, but that's what it made me feel like I needed to do, and apparently it happens a lot when people get that treatment! The massage felt slightly weird as it was purely on my stomach but was relaxing for the most part. At the end of the massage, we had another chat and she recommended some of the herbal treatments she uses to keep hers under control. The advice I received was really helpful and I definitely feel like I came away more knowledgable about the condition. The whole thing took about an hour.Before leaving, I was told bowel movements would come gradually over six hours. I didn't poop until three days later, which for me is a very long time! Obviously I wasn't eating very much at all either which probably influenced this, I'm pretty certain it wouldn't have been a three day wait if I was carrying on with my usual diet. I think I would go back for another treatment if I was going through a bad patch and having constant 'attacks' as the massage does help, and just being able to relax can calm it all down as stress is a trigger. I paid £28 for it, which isn't bad considering you're getting a lot of valuable advice along with it. Check out the spa where I had it done here

Friday, 14 September 2012

I took this as I was in the middle of doing my make-up so I hadn't removed the fall-out from the eyeshadow off my cheek yet, that's why I look like a glitter ball! False eyelashes are my absolute must-have especially when I'm doing an evening look, which is why I wanted to share with you my favourite falsies. I'm tempted to make a how to apply video at some point as my friends always ask me to show them how to apply the strips or to do it for them, so I'm sure there must be more girls out there who would benefit from a little tutorial. The eyelashes I have been using for the past year or so are the Eylure Girls Aloud ones, in the style of Kimberley (not just because we share the same name haha!). I like them because they are natural looking but with a very noticable difference in the length and thickness. I have quite big round eyes so this style suits me well. Eylure is a good brand to use as they have a lot of different styles, I can't remember the style number but I used to use the second thinnest strips and they were really good for a similar natural look too. Lashes I have used in the past that I haven't been a fan of are Revlon, because I didn't feel like they were easy to cut or apply glue to and 'shape' (I will talk about this in my little tutorial), and basically any eyelashes sold in the supermarket for the same reasons! It is worth paying £5 - £6 for the good quality ones as it is so much easier to apply and they last much longer as well.

Monday, 10 September 2012

Recently I tried the Big Blue bath bomb from Lush, which costs £3.20. It contains lavender and lemon oil, as well as seaweed and sea salt. It smelt really nice and turned the bath water deep blue. According to Lush, this bathbomb is supposed to replicate a tropical sea (hence the seaweed!), and it certainly did feel very refreshing, leaving my skin very soft. The only thing I didn't like about this product is that the seaweed was such a pain to get out of the bath tub afterwards! For that reason, I'm not sure I would buy this bath bomb again when Lush offers many more bath bombs which aren't so messy.

Sunday, 2 September 2012

I've been looking for anniversary presents.. I love these rings from Pandora!

My two boys

We've been to see two wedding venues this week and I love the place with the deer park! Nothing is getting booked until we've saved the money up (which we've started doing) as I know I definitely don't want to get into debt and I know Craig doesn't either, so the engagement will last as long as it takes to pay for everything we want on our day. I will get into more detail about the wedding venues we've seen on my next wedding blog though.